The path for the 36 participants in Europe’s top competition was defined in Monte Carlo

The path that the 36 participants in the 2025-26 Champions League will take in the league phase has been outlined. On Saturday, the calendar with the specific dates of the matches will be announced. Among the Italian teams, Inter will face Liverpool, Arsenal, Slavia Prague, and Kairat Almaty at home and Borussia, Atletico Madrid, Ajax, and Union Saint Gilloise away. For the Nerazzurri, this will be their second consecutive meeting with the Gunners at San Siro, having already beaten them 1-0 last year thanks to a penalty from Calhanoglu. Juve will face Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, and Pafos at home, and Real Madrid, Villarreal, Bodo/Glimt, and Monaco away. The latter will be a special challenge for former player Pogba. Atalanta will face Chelsea, Bruges, Slavia Prague, and Athletic Bilbao at home and PSG, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille, and Union Saint Gilloise away. The Bergamo side will once again face the Belgians who surprisingly eliminated them in last season’s playoffs. Finally, Napoli will face Chelsea, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting Lisbon, and Qarabag at the Maradona Stadium and Manchester City, Benfica, PSV, and Copenhagen away. Keep an eye on the home game against the Germans, which caused serious public order problems in 2023.

Reigning champions PSG will face Bayern, Atalanta, Tottenham, and Newcastle at home, and Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting, and Athletic Bilbao away. These are very tough matchups. World champions Chelsea will face Barcelona, Benfica, Ajax, and Paphos at home and Bayern, Atalanta, Napoli, and Qarabag away. Maresca will therefore have two away games in Italy. Real Madrid will face Manchester City, Juventus, Marseille, and Monaco at home, and Liverpool, Benfica, Olympiacos, and Kairat Almaty away. Liverpool will face Real Madrid, Atletico, PSV, and Qarabag at home, and Inter, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille, and Galatasaray away. Bayern will face Chelsea, Bruges, Sporting, and Union St. Gilloise at home and PSG, Arsenal, PSV, and Paphos away. Manchester City will face Borussia, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, and Galatasaray at home and Real Madrid, Villarreal, Bodo/Glimt, and Monaco away. Finally, Barcelona will face PSG, Eintracht, Olympiacos, and Copenhagen at home, and Chelsea, Bruges, Slavia Prague, and Newcastle away.
The group stage of the 2025-26 Champions League will begin on September 16-17 and 18 with the first matchday. The second matchday is scheduled for September 30-October 1, the third for October 21-22, the fourth for November 4-5, the fifth for November 25-26, the sixth for December 9-10, the seventh for January 20-21, and the eighth and final matchday for January 28, with 18 games played simultaneously. The final is scheduled for May 30, 2026, at 6 p.m. in Budapest.